Power Issues
by Little Green Voice
Summary: In the end of ”War Stories”, Simon is stitching Mal’s ear back on it’s place. Some interesting development ensues. Finally. Mal/Simon slash oneshot


**Title**: Power Issues

**Pairing**: Mal/Simon slash

**Warnings**: slash, a possibly incorrect invented detail on Mal's past, a slight power kink (but nothing too disturbing)

**Summary**: In the end of "War Stories", Simon is stitching Mal's ear back on it's place. Some interesting development ensues. Finally!

**Disclaimer**: There's a reason why I'm submitting this as a story here and not charging you for a collector's box of the 2nd season of Firefly. Yup, I'm not Joss Whedon, therefore, I must be just another fan who saw something shiny in the way Mal keeps throwing Simon around. Can't be _just anger_, right? Right! Anyways, I'm not claiming Firefly-series to be mine

**A/N**: This might not be the most inventive scenario to bring these two together, but on my opinion, it's a working well. And I do know very well that this is not a new chapter of Strange Disease or Erased which it bloody well should be... but .. but ... but... my muses have abandoned me!!! :(  
So, for a while you might just be seing some of these Firefly Mal/Simon goodies coming... :)

**SPOILER ALERT**: Some spoilers for episode "War Stories", but not much and nothing for the rest of the series. You don't need to have seen that to understand this, though. :)

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_A Firefly fan fiction story by **The Little Green Voice:**_

**POWER ISSUES**

Once again Mal was in the infirmary, on the patient's bed that had been lifted from the head so he could see around himself and watch Simon work. The young doctor was preparing everything he needed to patch him up this time and strengthening himself into the task at hand. It wasn't as if this would be the first severed part of the body he'd have to stitch back on it's place, but rather … well, let's just say that treating Mal was always an issue of worry and needed special attention.

"You know, Doc, I was just wondering," Mal said in a cheerful conversational tone, completely hiding his worry about the future procedure, "have you ever considered how perverse your choice of trade is?"

"I'm … not quite sure what you mean, Captain?" Simon asked, not looking away from his work – organizing the instruments he'd need his back turned to his patient. _Here we go again…the captain just couldn't let him do his job in peace._

"I mean you get to boss your patients around. Tell them to take their clothes off and all. You just say the word and they obey, no questions asked."

"I do get quite enough questions asked here, though . Especially when it comes to treating you."

"Hah ha. But you do _know_ what I mean, don't you? And I bet you just love it, the _control_."

"Hm. How about you yourself, _Captain_. I don't see you taking orders from anyone. Just giving them to your crew, and lots, for the matter," Simon answered, keeping his concentration on the captain's arm, wiping it with a desinfective towel and then turning to prepare a needle to give a shot of strong pain killers.

"Oh, well it's my job," Mal said, first sounding a bit off, but when the Doc turned his back on him, he seemed to get his brain working – or at least it formed a thought: "Oh ... _Oh!_ You're _jealous_, ain't you, Doc?" The accusation ran cold shiver through Simon and he took more than necessary time to prepare the shot before turning back to face his patient. He was not jealous of anything or anyone on this boat, especially not if it had anything to do with wanting Mal give him orders, thank you very much. Simon realized he was staring at the instruments in his hands without doing or understanding anything. He mentally shook himself. Staying in his Doctor-In-Duty-mode was the only method that worked for him when he was dealing with Mal, especially when the captain was like this. Which he mostly was. And he really needed to stay as the Doctor now if he wanted to stay in duty and on board.

"I'm afraid I don't quite get your point, Captain," he said with a calm voice, a clam face and a not-so-calm nerves when he turned to face Mal.

It was stupid, letting Mal get under his skin with a stupid conversation like this. He knew the older man was just making fun of him, entertaining himself and avoiding the feeling of not being in control of the situation. Although with Simon, Mal somehow always was in control, no matter what. "Don't move," Simon said when he pushed the needle gently into a vein and emptied the small vial of pain killers to dull out the general pain the captain was suffering (though not showing it, so apparently the talking did help somewhat). The captain didn't even grunt at the shot, but Simon knew it had hurt some – his hands werent have been stable enough to pass a test on Medacad first year, it was truly embarrassing.

He walked back to the side table and took the stitching equipment and one more shot, thinking that he should be one of the best surgeons in the Core and here he was hurting a patient with just a simple painkiller shot. But showing hurt when it really did hurt just wasn't Mal's way, he had been through worse. He'd whine like a baby with the smaller wounds just to annoy Simon, but not with things like this. Hell, the man should be screaming just because of the wound in his ear and the torture he'd been through – and that was just the physical damages. Briefly Simon wondered if he could've fixed the captain's ear without any sort of local anaesthesia and not have his patient fainting or screaming at all.

He managed to not to cause more pain with the local anaesthesia shot, but wondered if that was only because he shot it to the earlobe and didn't have to stand in the captain's line of sight. He poked at the ear after a moment and there was no reaction. Let's get it over with, he thought and took a deep breath.

"I'm starting the stitching now, so please stay still," Simon said and forced his hands to cooperate properly. It really would have been much nicer for Simon to work if he could've used general anaesthetics and have his patient sleep the whole time, but no, the captain had to be awake "in case of trouble"…

"Please stay still,_ Captain_," Mal pointed out with a small but rather serious frown on his face.

"Of course, I'm sorry. Please stay still, _Captain_," Simon said with his distant, please-the-patient-so-everything-will-be-easier –voice.

Just the voice Mal hated. But the captain knew better than to start squirming when a doctor was stitching half of his ear back to it's rightful place. He winced visibly when he felt the needle hit his ear the first time and was annoyed to notice that Simon must have noticed since he laid his other hand calmingly to his neck. It was annoying, but calming – and that was even more annoying. But soon Mal settled for thinking instead of feeling. And he decided to keep on the pleasant conversation. It really was impossible to think about anything smart while the young man was mangling his ear brutally – even if it was to fix it.

"I think it's more of a different power-issue for you, Doc. You don't seem to be all that keen on being the one commanding and deciding things," Mal said the smirk growing to a full grin when Simon stopped his work and cleared his throat.

"I thought you think me being a doctor means just that."

"No. You being a doctor means you want to save people. I'm talking about you as a person, Simon Tam. You don't like too much power."

"No, you're right," he sighed. Might as well talk, then. "It's easier being here on board Serenity. You stay hidden from the Alliance, we stay hidden from the Alliance, I don't have to plan all the time and I can concentrate on making River fine again. Doing decisions gets in the way of working."

"I bet you'd make a good bottom," Mal pointed out with a grin and gave a laugh.

"I beg your pardon?" Simon asked, stopping his work again and appearing to Mal's line of sight. Mal almost laughed at Simon's expression of complete confusion.

"You know, in a relationship." Oh, how Mal wanted to just laugh after saying that. Simon gave a quick range of expression from realization to confusion to realization again and then disappeared behind Mal's head again. He kept on with his work, but Mal thought his hands weren't quite as steady as before.

"I don't think I quite follow you, Captain," Simon said with the next stitch and added hastily: "Take your shirt off."

"What? And here I thought you didn't underst-" Mal protested, smirking.

"No, I mean take your shirt off if you don't want any more blood on it. Now."

"Oh," the captain started unbuttoning his shirt, but the pain killer shot had made him physically weak and he stumbled so much that Simon sighed in frustration and stepped to his view again, shaking his head and holding a paper towel.

"Keep this to your ear," he said and guided Mal's tired hand to hold the piece of paper to the cut on the half-stitched ear. "Sorry, I hit a vein. But there's so much of them in an ear anyway, couldn't help it much. Should have thought of this earlier, though," Simon muttered and started unbuttoning his patient's shirt with prompt but precise movements. Mal closed his eyes and leaned back. It felt good, he had to admit, but it was obviously just because it was ages ago since someone had done this to him. And by this he meant both the unbuttoning _and_ the undoing. Because that was how he felt – and it had to be because of the drugs. Mal with his closed eyes allowing Simon to open his shirt so willingly – even if it was just because of the treatment – was just as rousing to the young doctor. The captain didn't notice it, but Simon couldn't help his eyes stealing glances of the skin he was revealing. A few scars here and there made him itch to feel them – to check if they were properly healed, _of course_. He left the last button done and held the captains shoulder, ready to lift it.

"Captain?" A soft word from Simon made Mal open his eyes.

"What?" Mal grunted, annoyed.

"Lift yourself, just a little."

He did, and Simon pulled the shirt down with a swift movement so it trapped the captain's left arm and revealed the shoulder. The young man took the paper towel from Mal and guided his hand back down, placing it gently on the bed.

"You really have a perverse job, young man."

"What ever you say, captain," Simon answered again with his distant politeness, trying very hard not to be affected by Mal's clearly just-for-fun "flirty" behaviour and got back to his work.

"I mean you even get to boss_ me_ around all you want!"

"Zoe does that sometimes, too. And Kaylee. It seems to be a matter of circumstances," Simon pointed out, not looking away from his work although he could see Mal from the corner of his eye when he had to work on the front side of his ear.

"But they're all _women!_ I have a weak spot – I used to have _sisters_, you know!" Mal said, sounding like a whining kid. Now that was more like what Simon could handle. "But none of them ever get to rip my clothes off without a very precise permission," he pointed out, looking at the young doctor with an unreadable smirk.

Simon froze at the last comment and looked away from the captain, stepping from his range of sight and pretending that it was because of his work. A rush of something ran through Simon and no matter how much he tried to ignore it, he felt it was bit too warm here now. Forcing himself to keep on patching up the captain, he tried to lead the conversation on a different track: "Are you telling me you wouldn't let Inara do that?" He said with a tight laugh, hoping to get the talk more just about crew relations instead of his occupation and hoping to sound carefree.

"No, I'm not telling you I wouldn't. Couldn't afford her anyway, though. And even if I could... nah. Where's the fun in that, you know?"

"Right. No fun," Simon said with a nod and fell silent and concentrated all his willpower on finishing his work. It was really getting too interesting. Too personal.

"You know, if I had to decide a fancier trade for myself, I think I'd enjoy being a doctor," Mal said after a moment of silence when Simon finally finished with his ear.

"Hmm. Might be, you seem to like saving people and you like power. It suits you. Could be a head of a hospital," Simon muttered instinctively answering what ever his patient uttered while disposing of the bloody towels.

"You think power suits me?" Mal asked, swinging his legs off the bed, sitting up on it. Mal was just starting to get enough of this circling around the topic-thing. He sat facing Simon who just turned around, probably planning to tell him to lay down for a while. Mal didn't miss the slight flash of surprise in Simon's eyes when he realized his patient was up already – nor the flicker of his eyes when the Doc tried very hard not to notice the skin Mal's half-on shirt was exposing. He smirked and prompted the young man to answer "So, Doc? Do you?"

"You're a Captain, Mal. Power … power is … part of the job … and … and you know your, um, job and …" Simon muttered the words, trying to look everywhere except into Mal's face or body when the captain slid off the operation bed/table and stood in front of the doctor.

"I know my job? Meaning I do it well?" He waited for an answer, but all Simon could do was stay still. "You like me with power, don't you, Doc?" Mal took a step towards the younger man, wearing his trademark self-confident smirk.

_Mal with power? Oh yes,_ _please_, Simon sighed mentally and felt his body react to the idea immediately with excitement. Aloud he stuttered: "Well um I told you I um it's good to be on your crew … good to be here … it's safe for me and River and um… she likes it here…" but his explanations faded when Mal took another step towards him and Simon had to back up, hitting the side table with the first step – why was there so bloody little space on this ship?!

"I see you like the idea," Mal murmured, "I bet that if I was the Alliance, you'd love to be captured. And I'd just love to capture you."

"Uh, Captn-" was all the very confused-slash-aroused Simon could say when Mal took one more step towards cornering his prey mentally and physically.

"That's right, Doc, keep hiding behind the labels. Doesn't stop me," Mal muttered, all too close if you asked Simon. Or not close enough.

"I'm not hiding. That's who you are, Captain," Simon said, sounding way too out of breath for this to be just one of their normal conversation-turned-arguments, "and you don't approve of – of-" Simon was cut off when Mal trapped him between his body and the side table, placing his hands on the table on both sides of the young man, intentions clear on his face. _Gods_, Simon sighed mentally,_ am I dreaming?_

"I don't approve of romances between crewmembers. Unless I have to. Had to approve of Zoe and Wash. Will approve of this," Mal breathed, "if you will."

"I- uh-" Simon felt his tongue was completely out of order. What could he say? What else could he say, except for what he said in his dreams almost every night? "Yes, Sir," he sighed and was rewarded with a sharp, forceful nip on his throat, just above his jaw line and the rough, strong hands circling around his waist and back. The touch felt like fire.

"Right answer, Doc," Mal muttered, voice dark with lust and kissing the young man's neck feverishly, "I think we're quite done with the denial here."

"Oh, yes, Sir," Simon gasped breathlessly when he felt Mal's hands roarm around his back and when the other rough hand reached the back of his neck he was more than happy to give in to the rough kiss he was guided to.

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**A/N**: Since this is my first Firefly fanfic here, I'd love to get some feedback from fellow fangirls (and boys?)! This has been spell checked by me, a non-native speaker, so... :S But I had a lot of fun while writing it, so I hope you had fun while reading! ;)  
(Though if it's just ranting about homosexual pairings being just wrong, feel free to skip that part but thanks for reading still! ^^)


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